Arched building assembly formed of resiliently, flexible members

ABSTRACT

A building assembly for erecting an arched, resiliently flexible building member in which the building member consists of two submembers which are interconnected by a resiliently flexible connector capable of greater flexure than the sub-members so that, on erection, the building member has an upwardly pointed shape. Flexure of the flexible connector, and upward cambering of the submembers is effected by loading the sub-members in compression with loading cables which interconnect longitudinally spaced parts of the building member and are raised with the building member by bracing means which maintain the cables in fixed spaced relationship to intermediate parts of the building member. Flexure in both the resiliently flexible connector and the sub-members occurs simultaneously, but to a greater extent in the resilient sub-member. Additional loading cables may be provided for flexing the submembers independently.

United States Patent Cohen Nov. 26, 1974 ARCHED BUILDING ASSEMBLY FORMEDOF RESILIENTLY, FLEXIBLE MEMBERS 21 Appl. No.: 313,294

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 10, 1971 Great Britain57557/71 [52] US. Cl 52/86, 52/71, 52/222, 52/741 [51] Int. Cl E04b1/32, E04b 1/344 [58] Field of Search 52/741, 64, 86, 222, 71; 29/449[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,693,195 11/1954 Frieder52/63 X 3,057,119 10/1962 Kessler 52/222 X 3,148,539 9/1964 Cook 52/D1G.10

3,483,879 12/1969 Oehmsen 52/86 X 3,530,622 9/1970 Cohen 52/86 3,708,9441/1973 Miyake 52/86 X 3,731,440 5/1973 Welz... 52/71 FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 1,202,706 8/1970 Great Britain 52/86 932,631 9/1955 Germany52/86 626,656 10/1961 408,259 12/1944 986,497 3/1965 938,589 lO/1963Great Britain 52/64 Primary Examiner-Frank L. Abbott AssistantExaminer-Leslie A. Brown Attorney, Agent, or Firm woodhams, Blanchardand Flynn [5 7 ABSTRACT A building assembly for erecting an arched,resiliently flexible building member in which. the building memberconsists of two sub-members which are interconnected by a resilientlyflexible connector capable of greater flexure than the sub-members sothat, on erection, the building member has an upwardly pointed shape.Flexure of the flexible connector, and upward cambering of thesubmembers is effected by loading the sub-members in compression withloading cables which interconnect longitudinally spaced parts of thebuilding member and are raised with the building member by bracing meanswhich maintain the cables in fixed spaced relationship to intermediateparts of the building member. Flexure in both the resiliently flexibleconnector and the sub-members occurs simultaneously, but to a greaterextent in the resilient submember. Additional loading cables may beprovided for flexing the submembers independently.

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures ARCHED BUILDING ASSEMBLY FORMED OF RESIIIEN'II L FLEXIBLE MEMBERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The inventionrelates to a building assembly for the erection of an arched,resiliently flexible building member, and constitutes an improvement inor modification of the invention described in the complete specificationof my United Kingdom Pat. No. 1,202,706.

In the complete specification of this earlier patent there is claimed amethod of erecting an arched building member which comprises connectingtensioning means to the member so that the tensioning means is raisedwith the member on erection, applying a longitu dinal force totensioning means connected to the member to load the member incompression and thereby ef' fect elastic deformation of the member,controlling the deformation to ensure that the member is camberedupwardly to a required extent within the elastic limit of the member,and locking the member in the cambered condition.

The complete specification of United Kingdom Pat. No. 1,202,706 alsoclaims a building assembly comprising an elongate building member, aflexible tensioning means, connecting means for securing the tensioningmeans to two spaced portions of the building member and for positioningthe tensioning means in fixed spaced relationship to at least oneintermediate portion of the building member, and means for controllingdeformation of the building member so that on applying a longitudinalforce to the tensioning means to load the member in compression, themember is cambered upwardly and the tensioning means is raised with themember on erection.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is toprovide a building assembly whereby an elongate building member iscapable of being erected in an arch of greater height than the arch of abuilding member erected as described in the complete specification ofUnited Kingdon Pat. No. 1,202,706.

According to the present invention the elongate building member includestwo elongate sub-members connected end-to-end by a resiliently flexibleconnector. On loading the member in compression by means of thetensioning means, the building member is cambered upwardly to form apointed arch, or at least to form an arch having an intermediate portionof smaller radius than the flanks of the arch. In a preferredconstruction, the flexible connector is disposed at the midpoint of thebuilding member.

As disclosed in the complete specification of United Kingdom Pat. No.1,202,706, the tensioning means may comprise a cable which is secured toone end of the building member, the other end of the building memberbeing anchored to hinged means and being provided with a bracket for theattachment of jack means for tensioning the cable. The bracket for thejack means may be provided with locking means for securing the cable tosaid other end of the building member. In an alternative form ofconstruction, the tensioning means include two additional cablesrespectively attached to the inner ends of the two sub-members onopposite sides of the flexible connector. A bracket may be provided atthe outer end of each sub-member for the attachment of jack meanscapable of tensioning the additional cable attached to the inner end ofthe submember. This bracket may be provided with locking means forsecuring the cable to the outer end of the sub-member.

In an alternative form of construction the additional cable connected toone of the sub-members may be passed around a guide, for example: pulleymeans, dis posed at the outer end of this sub-member and back beneaththe building member to the jack means for ten sioning the additionalcable connected to the other submember, or to jack means disposedadjacent the jack means for tensioning the additional cable connected tothe other sub-member. On erection, the length of cable disposed beneaththe erected building member may be covered by, or embedded in, asubsequently provided 1 base member.

To erect an elongate building member forming part of a building assemblyaccording to the present invention in which separate additional cablesare attached to the two sub-members, one end of the building member maybe anchored to hinged means and the other end of the other sub-membermay be mounted in guide means which allow the outer end of this othersub-member to travel, in a controlled manner, towards the anchored outerend of the other sub-member as the single cable connecting the twosub-members is tightened during erection of the building member. The twoadditional cables are then tightened so as to camber the two submemberswhich are inclined to each other as a result of flexure of the flexuremeans during tightening of the first cable. Alternatively, the twoadditional cables may be tightened, either concurrently or in sequence,to camber the two submembers before the single cable connecting the twosub-members is tightened to raise the two sub-members.

By the use of suitable jack means, two or more elongate building membersof building assemblies according to the invention may be erectedsimultaneously. In this case the simultaneously erected building membersmay be interconnected by cross members which may be in the form ofpanels or shuttering to provide a roof forthe erected structure. Thepanels may be plastics or similarly suitable sheet material and may becorrogated or otherwise strengthened. In one form of construction whichis particularly suitable for use in the erection of a roof over anexpanse of water, the panels or other cross-members may be provided withhollow sections of sufficient buoyancy to support the structure on thesurface of the water prior to erection.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A building assembly according to theinvention, and its method of erection, is hereinafter illustrated, byway of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment in the unerected and erectedconditions, respectively; and

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a second embodiment in the unerected and erectedconditions, respectively.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIG. 1, an elongatebuilding member comprises two sub-members 10A and 10B interconnected bya connector 11. The outer end of submember 10A is pivotally connected toan anchor 12 and the outer end of sub-member 10B is pivotally connectedto a shoe 13 which is slidable in a channelsection guide 14 (shown insection). A cable 15 is secured by locking means provided on bracket 19at the outer end of sub-member A. The cable is threaded through tubularguides 17 supported by brackets 18 dependent from intermediate and innerportions of the sub-members 10A and 10B, and its free end is threadedthrough a bracket 19 at the outer end of sub-member 10B and connected toa hydraulic jack 20.

Two additional cables 15A and 15B are secured by locking means 16 to theinner ends of the sub-members 10A and 10B. Each of these additionalcables is threaded through one of the tubular guides 17 dependent fromthe intermediate portions of the submembers 10A and 10B, and its freeend is threaded through one of the brackets 19 and connected to one ofthe jacks 20 mounted on these brackets.

On application of the jacks, the cables 15, 15A and 15B are tightened soas to draw the shoe 13 along the guide 14 and to load the sub-members10A and 108 in compression. As a result of this loading on cable 15,there is pivotal movement between the two submembers 10A and 108 aboutthe connector 11 as the connector is raised, and the sub-members 10A and10B are themselves cambered upwardly as a result of compressive loadingcaused by cables 15A and 158, as shown in FIG. 2.

When the building assembly is disposed as shown in FIG. 2, the shoe 13is locked in place by suitable anchoring means (not shown), and part orall of the guide 14 may be removed. Locking means provided on thebrackets 19 are also used to secure the cables 15, 15A and 15B to theouter ends of the sub-members 10A and 10B, and the jacks 20 are removed.To provide greater rigidity, screws 17A are tightened in screw-threadedholes provided in the tubular guides 17 to clamp the cables securely tothe brackets 18.

As shown in FIG. 2, the provision of the flexible connector 11 permitsthe erection of a much higher arched structure than would be possibleusing an elongate building member subject to a uniform deformation. Theshape 21 of such a uniformly deformed building member is shown inoutline in FIG. 2.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, where like parts havebeen assigned like reference numerals, sub-members 10A and 10B areinterconnected by an elongated resiliently flexible connector 11A havingless bending resistance than the sub-members 10A and 10B. Although themember 11A shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is different in cross-section to thesub-members 10A and 10B, the reduction in bending resistance may beprovided wholly, or in part, by the use of more flexible material thanthe material of sub-members 10A and 10B.

In the construction shown, a single cable 15 is secured by locking means16 to an outer end of submember 10A, and the other end of this cable 15is connected to locking means provided on bracket 19 supporting ahydraulic jack 20 at the outer end of submember 108. While notillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the additional cables 15A and 158 can alsobe utilized.

When the cable 15 is tightened by means of the jack 20, the sub-members10A and 10B are cambered upwardly, the intermediate member 11A isflexed, and the shoe l3 slides inwards along the guide 14 as shown inFIG. 4. As described in respect of the first embodiment, the shoe 13 isthen locked in position and the screws 17A provided in the tubularsleeves 17 are tightened so as to engage the cable 15 and so provide amore rigid structure. Clearly, the extent to which the sub-members 10Aand 10B are cambered depends upon the relative rigidity of thesesub-members and the intermediate member 11A.

Although the invention has been described with reference to severalgeneral and specific embodiments, it is to be understood that theinvention includes compatible combinations of the various features ofthese different embodiments. It is also possible that, by use ofsuitable tie members, the elongate building member may be formed withthree or more submembers which are inter-connected by flexure means asdescribed above.

I claim:

1. In a building assembly having an elongate building member, theimprovement comprising:

said building member including first and second elongate submemberspositioned in end-to-end relation, said first sub-member having one endthereof positioned closely adjacent one end of said second sub-member,said first and second submembers each being bendable into an archedshape;

said building member also including a resiliently bendable connectorconnected between the adjacent one ends of said first and secondsubmembers, said connector having less resistance to bending than saidsub-members;

first anchor means stationarily positioned adjacent one end of saidbuilding member and pivotally connected to the other end of said firstsub-member;

second anchor means positioned adjacent and interconnected to the otherend of said building memher, said second anchor means including anelongated guide extending in a direction toward said first anchor meansand a shoe slidably mounted on said guide, said shoe being pivotallyconnected to the other end of said second sub-member;

said first and second sub-members respectively having first and secondguide means fixed thereon in spaced relation from said other endsthereof;

tensioning means for simultaneously yet individually resiliently flexingsaid first and second submembers and said connector to camber saidbuilding member upwardly into the shape of a pointed arch, saidconnector defining the apex of said arch and said first and secondsub-members being individually flexed upwardly into an arched shape anddefining the sides of said arch;

said tensioning means including an elongated flexible cable extendingfrom said first anchor means through said first and second guide meansto said second anchor means, whereby tensioning of said cable causessaid shoe to move toward said first anchor means and causes saidbuilding member to be cambered upwardly; and

said flexible connector consisting of an elongated, elastically bendablerodlike element extending be tween and fixedly connected to thecorresponding one ends of said first and second sub-members, saidrodlike element being bent by said tensioning means into an arch-shapedefined by a first radius which is rather small, and said first andsecond subtending between said second anchor means and said one end ofsaid second sub-member, said second cable being fixedly anchored to saidsecond sub-member adjacent said one end thereof, and said tensioningmeans also including jack means for tensioning said firstmentioned, saidsecond and said third cables for causing said building member to camberupwardly and for causing said first and second submembers to beindividually flexed into an arch-shape. l =l

1. In a building assembly having an elongate building member, theimprovement comprising: said building member including first and secondelongate submembers positioned in end-to-end relation, said firstsubmember having one end thereof positioned closely adjacent one end ofsaid second sub-member, said first and second submembers each beingbendable into an arched shape; said building member also including aresiliently bendable connector connected between the adjacent one endsof said first and second sub-members, said connector having lessresistance to bending than said sub-members; first anchor meansstationarily positioned adjacent one end of said building member andpivotally connected to the other end of said first sub-member; secondanchor means positioned adjacent and interconnected to the other end ofsaid building member, said second anchor means including an elongatedguide extending in a direction toward said first anchor means and a shoeslidably mounted on said guide, said shoe being pivotally connected tothe other end of said second sub-member; said first and secondsub-members respectively having first and second guide means fixedthereon in spaced relation from said other ends thereof; tensioningmeans for simultaneously yet individually resiliently flexing said firstand second sub-members and said connector to camber said building memberupwardly into the shape of a pointed arch, said connector defining theapex of said arch and said first and second sub-members beingindividually flexed upwardly into an arched shape and defining the sidesof said arch; said tensioning means including an elongated flexiblecable extending from said first anchor means through said first andsecond guide means to said second anchor means, whereby tensioning ofsaid cable causes said shoe to move toward said first anchor means andcauses said building member to be cambered upwardly; and said flexibleconnector consisting of an elongated, elastically bendable rodlikeelement extending between and fixedly connected to the corresponding oneends of said first and second sub-members, said rodlike element beingbent by said tensioning means into an arch-shape defined by a firstradius which is rather small, and said first and second sub-membersbeing bent by said tensioning means into an arch-shape defined by asecond radius which is large relative to said first radius.
 2. In abuilding assembly according to claim 1, wherein said tensioning meansincludes a second elongated flexible cable extending between said firstanchor means and said one end of said first sub-member, said secondcable being fixedly anchored to said first sub-member adjacent said oneend thereof, said tensioning means including a third elongated flexiblecable extending between said second anchor means and said one end ofsaid second sub-member, said second cable being fixedly anchored to saidsecond sub-member adjacent said one end thereof, and said tensioningmeans also including jack means for tensioning said first-mentioned,said second and said third cables for causing said building member tocamber upwardly and for causing said first and second sub-members to beindividually flexed into an arch-shape.